Exodus 23

1 Thou shalt not receiue a false tale, neyther shalt thou put thine hande with the wicked, to be a false witnes.

“You shall not spread a false report. Do not join the wicked by being a malicious witness.

2 Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do euil, neither agree in a controuersie to decline after many and ouerthrowe the trueth.

You shall not follow the crowd in wrongdoing. When you testify in a lawsuit, do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd.

3 Thou shalt not esteeme a poore man in his cause.

And do not show favoritism to a poor man in his lawsuit.

4 If thou meete thine enemies oxe, or his asse going astray, thou shalt bring him to him againe.

If you encounter your enemy’s stray ox or donkey, you must return it to him.

5 If thou see thine enemies asse lying vnder his burden, wilt thou cease to helpe him? thou shalt helpe him vp againe with it.

If you see the donkey of one who hates you fallen under its load, do not leave it there; you must help him with it.

6 Thou shalt not ouerthrowe the right of thy poore in his sute.

You shall not deny justice to the poor in their lawsuits.

7 Thou shalt keepe thee farre from a false matter, and shalt not slaye the innocent and the righteous: for I will not iustifie a wicked man.

Stay far away from a false accusation. Do not kill the innocent or the just, for I will not acquit the guilty.

8 Thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and peruerteth the wordes of the righteous.

Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.

9 Thou shalt not oppresse a stranger: for ye knowe the heart of a stranger, seeing yee were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Do not oppress a foreign resident, since you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners; for you were foreigners in the land of Egypt.

10 Moreouer, sixe yeres thou shalt sowe thy land, and gather the fruites thereof,

For six years you are to sow your land and gather its produce,

11 But the seuenth yeere thou shalt let it rest and lie still, that the poore of thy people may eat, and what they leaue, the beastes of the fielde shall eate. In like maner thou shalt doe with thy vineyard, and with thine oliue trees.

but in the seventh year you must let it rest and lie fallow, so that the poor among your people may eat from the field and the wild animals may consume what they leave. Do the same with your vineyard and olive grove.

12 Sixe dayes thou shalt do thy worke, and in the seuenth day thou shalt rest, that thine oxe, and thine asse may rest, and the sonne of thy maide and the stranger may be refreshed.

For six days you are to do your work, but on the seventh day you must cease, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the son of your maidservant may be refreshed, as well as the foreign resident.

13 And ye shall take heede to all things that I haue sayde vnto you: and ye shall make no mention of the name of other gods, neither shall it be heard out of thy mouth.

Pay close attention to everything I have said to you. You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips.

14 Three times thou shalt keepe a feast vnto me in the yeere.

Three times a year you are to celebrate a feast to Me.

15 Thou shalt keepe the feast of vnleauened bread: thou shalt eate vnleauened bread seue dayes, as I commanded thee, in the season of the moneth of Abib: for in it thou camest out of Egypt: and none shall appeare before me emptie:

You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was the month you came out of Egypt. No one may appear before Me empty-handed.

16 The feast also of the haruest of the first fruites of thy labours, which thou hast sowen in the fielde: and the feast of gathering fruites in the ende of the yere, when thou hast gathered in thy labours out of the fielde.

You are also to keep the Feast of Harvest with the firstfruits of the produce from what you sow in the field. And keep the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather your produce from the field.

17 These three times in the yeere shall all thy men children appeare before the Lord Iehouah.

Three times a year all your males are to appear before the Lord GOD.

18 Thou shalt not offer the blood of my sacrifice with leauened bread: neyther shall the fatte of my sacrifice remayne vntill the morning.

You must not offer the blood of My sacrifices with anything leavened, nor may the fat of My feast remain until morning.

19 The first of the first fruites of thy lande thou shalt bring into the house of the Lord thy God: yet shalt thou not seeth a kid in his mothers milke.

Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God. You must not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk.

20 Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keepe thee in the way, and to bring thee to the place which I haue prepared.

Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.

21 Beware of him, and heare his voyce, and prouoke him not: for he will not spare your misdeedes, because my name is in him.

Pay attention to him and listen to his voice; do not defy him, for he will not forgive rebellion, since My Name is in him.

22 But if thou hearken vnto his voyce, and do all that I speake, the I wil be an enemie vnto thine enemies, and will afflict them that afflict thee.

But if you will listen carefully to his voice and do everything I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

23 For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee vnto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hiuites, and the Iebusites, and I will destroy them.

For My angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, and I will annihilate them.

24 Thou shalt not bow downe to their gods, neither serue them, nor doe after the workes of them: but vtterly ouerthrowe them, and breake in pieces their images.

You must not bow down to their gods or serve them or follow their practices. Instead, you are to demolish them and smash their sacred stones to pieces.

25 For ye shall serue the Lord your God, and he shall blesse thy bread and thy water, and I will take all sickenes away from the middes of thee.

So you shall serve the LORD your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take away sickness from among you.

26 There shall none cast their fruite nor be baren in thy lande: the number of thy dayes will I fulfill.

No woman in your land will miscarry or be barren; I will fulfill the number of your days.

27 I will send my feare before thee, and will destroy all the people among whome thou shalt go: and I will make all thine enemies turne their backes vnto thee:

I will send My terror ahead of you and throw into confusion every nation you encounter. I will make all your enemies turn and run.

28 And I will sende hornets before thee, which shall driue out the Hiuites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from thy face.

I will send the hornet before you to drive the Hivites and Canaanites and Hittites out of your way.

29 I will not cast them out from thy face in one yeere, least the land grow to a wildernes: and the beasts of the field multiplie against thee.

I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.

30 By litle and litle I will driue them out from thy face, vntill thou increase, and inherite the lande.

Little by little I will drive them out ahead of you, until you become fruitful and possess the land.

31 And I will make thy coastes from the red sea vnto the sea of the Philistims, and from the desert vnto the Riuer: for I will deliuer the inhabitants of the lande into your hande, and thou shalt driue them out from thy face.

And I will establish your borders from the Red Sea to the Sea of the Philistines, and from the desert to the Euphrates. For I will deliver the inhabitants into your hand, and you will drive them out before you.

32 Thou shalt make no couenant with them, nor with their gods:

You shall make no covenant with them or with their gods.

33 Neither shall they dwell in thy lande, least they make thee sinne against me: for if thou serue their gods, surely it shall be thy destruction.

They must not remain in your land, lest they cause you to sin against Me. For if you serve their gods, it will surely be a snare to you.”